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The chief of police wants $386,000 to put 184 Tasers in the hands of front-line officers — increasing the controversial weapon’s use by one-third, despite some strong public opposition.

But the chair of the Police Services Board says Chief Bill Blair will have to wait.

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair wants to put more Tasers in the hands of front-line officers, following a provincial government decision to allow their expanded use. (RENE JOHNSON / TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

Blair will table a report at Thursday’s police board meeting — following Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur’s approval of the expanded use in August — arguing the force has a record of “good judgment under difficult circumstances.”

Other than referring to “operational needs” and “community safety,” Blair offered no justification in his written report for requesting the expansion now.

“The Service’s record consistently demonstrates that officers are using good judgment under difficult circumstances and are making appropriate decisions to use only the force reasonably necessary to resolve tense and dangerous situations,” Blair’s report reads. It follows a board request for the chief to detail steps taken towards possible expansion.

The board will vote to receive the report Thursday for further debate and won’t be voting on whether to approve Blair’s request at this stage.

Board chair Alok Mukherjee said there are several policy issues — including possible impact from an ongoing police shootings inquest and community concerns over Taser expansion — that members must reconcile before considering the chief’s request.

“It’s premature to make a decision on expanded use of Tasers yet,” Mukherjee said. “I think we have to wait for the inquest to be completed . . . We have to pay serious attention to what we heard from the community.”

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He also said despite the current service record with Tasers, showing few incidents of harm, that experience is based on a limited use of Tasers by experienced officers.

“There is a worry. And there needs to be some plan that the chief has to bring to the board to reassure the community,” Mukherjee said. “How is he going to mitigate the risks?”

Police spokesperson Mark Pugash said the police service would not be commenting on the report ahead of the board meeting.

“I think the community concern has got to be factored in very, very strongly,” Thompson said. “I think there’s a lot more work to be done.”

As of 2013, there were 571 Tasers in use by Toronto officers. Until now, only supervisors and tactical squad officers were allowed to carry the weapon.

Blair’s report says the proposed expansion would see two officers from each platoon at each of the city’s 17 divisions, at traffic services, and four officers from the TAVIS team get a Taser — for a total of 184.

The chief said those numbers would mean five Tasers would be available during all shifts, up from the current number of three per shift.

Blair said officers selected to carry Tasers would be carefully picked by their unit commander based on a “proven record of judgment, competence and professionalism” to “maintain the confidence of the public.”

The equipment — including the 200 weapons, holsters and three cartridges each — would cost $320,000. An additional $66,000 would be earmarked for extra training hours and training cartridges.

That money, Blair said, would come from available funds in the 2013 budget. His report does not make clear what part of the budget.

Mukherjee said Blair is proposing the funds would come from a $5-million surplus in the capital budget — part of a report also to be tabled at Thursday’s meeting.

Following Blair’s report on Thursday’s board agenda is an overview from a special public meeting held in September, at which members of the public begged the board to block more Tasers from hitting the streets.

“In concert with the overwhelming negative response heard at the public consultation meeting on CEW expansion held on Sept. 24, 2013, the community members of the Mental Health Sub-Committee strongly recommend that the Board not approve the wider distribution of CEWs at this time,” the report reads.

The board’s mental health sub-committee, which hosted September’s public meeting, said it would like to look at expanding mobile crisis intervention teams (MCITs) and training on de-escalation strategies.

Lawyer Peter Rosenthal, who attended the public meeting to argue against wider Taser use and is representing Michael Eligon’s family in the ongoing inquest into three police fatal shootings, said Monday that Blair’s characterization of his officers’ conduct is troubling.

“What about the sergeant who came and Tasered Sammy Yatim as he was dying?” Rosenthal said, referring to the July incident where an 18-year-old was struck by eight bullets — and then Tasered — on a Dundas streetcar. Yatim’s death renewed public outrage about police use-of-force tactics.

Rosenthal shared Mukherjee’s concerns over how wider deployment would affect that service record.

“There haven’t been a lot of serious consequences of Taser use in Toronto so far,” Rosenthal said. “But that’s partially because the use is restricted.”

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